Goodbye pacifiers: when and how does weaning work?

Lisa Vogel studied departmental journalism with a focus on medicine and biosciences at Ansbach University and deepened her journalistic knowledge in the master's degree in multimedia information and communication. This was followed by a traineeship in the editorial team. Since September 2020 she has been writing as a freelance journalist for

More posts by Lisa Vogel All content is checked by medical journalists.

Parents usually buy it in multiple versions: Because the pacifier is their one and only thing for many children. At some point, however, the piece of plastic has to end. What is the best way to say goodbye?

Sucking and sucking doesn't just begin when babies are born: "You can already see on ultrasound images that children are sucking their thumbs," says Margret Ziegler, pediatrician at the kbo Children's Center in Munich.

And even later, when the child is born, they intuitively look for something to suckle on. They are called "early childhood reflexes". And they are vital. "That's why you should support your child in this," says Ziegler. Because the sucking reflex is not only immensely important for food intake, but also for calming down.

Do not use pacifiers permanently

Many parents quickly realize that this is the case. And this is where one of the problems arises: a pacifier should in no way be used as a "mouth plug" or permanently. "It is important to use the pacifier differently," advises Ziegler. By this she means that parents should only offer the pacifier to the child from the age of two at the latest - i.e. from the age of twelve months - only to calm down or to fall asleep.

This is the opinion of Julia Spätling, qualified curative teacher, pediatric nurse and director of the Fulda family school. In their opinion, the pacifier should only be a transitional object. "On the one hand, it satisfies the infant's innate need to suckle at the beginning, and later it gives the child security and relaxation - for example, when the parents are little or no emotional support available or the child finds himself in a tense situation."

Weaning from the age of two

Ziegler thinks it is perfectly fine that the child regulates itself by sucking on the pacifier or the thumb in such situations. Nevertheless, the pacifier should not be in constant use - and should disappear completely by the age of four at the latest.

Dentist Corina Kynast from Brühl, on the other hand, pleads for earlier weaning: "A good period of time to wean a toddler from the teat is after the second birthday - i.e. around 24 to 36 months of age."

De, agrees pediatric nurse Spätling: "In general, the age of one and a half to two years is the best time because the children don't really have a clear awareness that the pacifier is emotionally important to them and they are also more likely to accept that something happens against their will, "says Spätling.

Because during this time, many milk teeth break through and the rows of teeth can be damaged by the teat - depending on the intensity of the suction - because the teeth in the front teeth area can open and the rows of teeth can shift. Incidentally, the same thing happens when the children suckle their thumbs.

Pacifiers promote misaligned teeth

Pediatric nurse Spätling confirms this: "Above all, constant sucking is harmful to the position of the teeth and you get a bite that is open to sucking." She advises parents as well as pediatrician Ziegler to only offer the pacifier at some point for lunch or for falling asleep in the evening and thus to approach complete weaning.

Not to be neglected is the effect on language. "A child who always has something in his mouth doesn't talk a lot or is poorly understood. Mouth and tongue motor skills suffer from the pacifier," says Spätling.

Parents have to be persistent

But what is the best way to go about pacifier weaning? The basic requirement for successful weaning is the attitude of the parents. Those who are determined to wean the pacifier can do it.

According to Ziegler, a slow step in this direction is not to put the pacifier in the mouth anymore, but simply to offer it to the child as soon as it can reach for something. And in times when the child is doing well, you should just put the pacifier away: "Out of sight, out of mind."

Rituals and conversations help

In the case of complete weaning, rituals are good. For example, you can have the pacifier fairy come and exchange the pacifier for a small gift. And, according to Ziegler, it doesn't matter if it doesn't work out from one day to the next: "Children need repetitions. At some point they notice that they are too old for the pacifier."

Even if parents are allowed to determine the basic time to wean pacifiers, they should not decide completely over the head of the child. "Children often want to discuss this. You should give them the time," advises Ziegler. It is important to take the child for full and include them in the process. (lv / dpa)

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